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WEB PROJECTS: Catch a Gravity Wave

A new computer program allows you to discover gravitational waves from the comfort of your home. The program, called Einstein@Home, runs on idling personal computers and will analyze data from three observatories testing the central predictions of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

The theory predicts that so-called gravitational waves should ripple outward from violent cosmic sources, such as colliding black holes. But the waves have never been detected directly. By parceling out the number crunching among participants' computers, Einstein@Home will search for a specific pattern of periodic gravitational waves produced by tiny spinning objects called neutron stars. Organizers hope to recruit at least 100,000 volunteers.